Detachable link



A. PURDIE DETACHABLE LINK mled May 4 1995 Nov. 3,1925

Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES ALEXANDER PURDIE, OF WYANDOTTE, MICHIGAN.

I)ETACI-IAlBIldly LINK.

Application filed May 4, 1923.

ToV all whom it' may concern.:

vBe it known that 1,ALEXANDER Ponent, a citizen ot the United States oflAmerica, residing at Wyandotte, in the county of Wayne and vState ofMichigan, have inventedcertain new and useful' Improvements inDetachableLinks, oi"A which the followingis a specification, reference being hadthere-in to the accompanying drawings. This invention relates to a chainlink, 'coupling or the like, for connecting the ends of a chain or othercable, and its object is 'to provide a device for the purpose which isvery strong and durable andA which may be quickly and-easily opened forthe purpose of disconnecting the ends of the chain connected thereby.

A further object is to reduce the costr and increase the strength ot thedevice by so construct-ing the same that it may be made of sheet metalstampings, and added strength will be secured through the particularconstruction and arrangement of the movable or closure member ot' thelink.

A further object is to so construct the device as'to preclude thepossibility of the accidental opening of the link in use and to insurethe ready manipulation of its movable member to disconnect the link fromthe chai it is also an object to provide certain other new and usefulfeatures in the construction and arrangement ofparts7 all as hereinaftermore fully described. i

lVith the above and other ends in view, theinvention consists in thematters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in theappended claims, referencel being had. to the accompanying drawings, inwhichA Figure l is aside elevation ot' a device illustrative of theinvention and showing the same in'closed position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view vice in open position;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation ot' Fig. 2f.

-l is a transverse section substantially upon the line lV-IV ot Fig.

Fig. 5 is a ,transverse section substantially upon the line V-V ot Fig.l, and i G is a plan view ot a blank from which one 0I" the members ofthe device iS formed.

showing the de? Serial No. 636,538.

The device embodyingthe present inven tion is especially adapted for useas a link in a chain for detachably connecting ends of the chain, butmay be used wherever it is vdesirable to detachably connect twomenrbers7 each havingan open link Yor eye at its end adapted to beyengaged by this connecting link which comprises two parts adapted to bemoved relatively to open the llink and permit the disengagement 'ofv theeyes er chainlinks therefrom whenever desirable. y l

Als shown in plan view in Fig. 6, the main member l of the l-ink islformed 'from sheet metal which is stamped out to provide a blank withlaterally' extending arms, there being a pair of like arms 2' at oneend, and

a. similar pair otarms 3 at the oppositie end of` the blank. vThese armsextend laterally *from the blank and are curved lengthwise of the blank,the pairs of arms at one end curv` ing toward the pair' of arms atv theother 1 In forming the link member', this -en-d. blank is folded uponitself along the longitudinal center line of the bodyof the' blank, thusbringing the two arms oli -ea'ch pair into parallelism with a'spacebetweenL the adjacent sides of the varms of each'pair.v A member is thusformed which isinthef tfo'rmv of an open link with an entrance' openingl between, the ends of the pairs of arms*7 and thi-'sl entrance openingis closedl in the finished link, by a pivotedclosure or connectingmember 5 ,which is also form'ed from a sheet metalY blank with a curvedarm at each end', the armA 6,y bei-ng curvedto conform to the curvatureof lche pair of' arms 2 of the member l, and: the arm 7 being curved tfoconform to the curvature or the armsz;

The member 5 isfpivoted between the ends of the armsy 2 by means of apivot bolt 8 extending' through openings in the -ends of thea'iiiisigand through an opening in the member 5, at such a point', thatwhen the closure member is turned upon its 'pivot with its stra-ightintermediate portion 'ex'- tending across the opening 4l between thearms of the member l, the curved end' arms 6 and 7 ot' the member 5 willlie within and iill the spaces between the pairs of arms Q andB,coinciding with said pairs'ofarms.

"To detachably hold the pivotedg member in operative posi zon to closethe opening said member is formed with protuberance 9 adapted to enga-gea recess i() in one of the arms 3 when saidV pivoted memberis turn-edinto alignment with said arms, the ari ,s 3 springing` apartsufficiently to allow the protuberance to snap into the recess, and toaid in the turning of the pivoted member to open position, a lug l1 isformed upon the upper edge of the member 5, said lng being bentlaterally so that a screw driver or other suitable instrument may beinserted between this lug and the upper edge of the adjacent arm 3 topry against said arm and swing the pivoted member, disengaging itsprotuberance 9 from the recess in the arm, so that said member may beswung to the position shown in Fig. 2, disengaging the engaged links oreyes of a chain or cable indicated at l2 in dotted lines in l, fromengagement within the link,

Preferably, the eiid of the arm 6 of the pivoted member is curvedtransversely to provide sharp angles or corners 13 at the end of thisarm, the purpose of which sharp angles is to cut ice or dirt which maybe embedded within the space between the sides of the member 1 and thusassist in clearing this space and permitting the free pivotal movementof the member 5.

By forming the pivoted member 5 with end arms which are curved-toconform to the curvature of the pairs of arms 2 and 3, and extendingthese arms -so that when the pivoted member is in closed position, thesearmswill extend around the ends of the link, the link is greatlystrengthened and the strain of the cable engaged within the link andpulling endwise thereon, will come di'- rectly upon these curved endarms of the pivoted member as well as upon the pairs of arms of the mainmember of the link. Furh ther, by reason vof the engagement of the cableends with these curved arms ofthe pivoted member,'the strain 0f thecable upon the detachable link will securely hold the` pivoted member inclosed position, thus eliminating` any danger of the. pivoted memberswinging to open position and accidentally opening the connecting linkwhile in use. Cheapness and strength of construc- V tion is securedthrough the forming of the main member from a sheet metal blank and asthe pivoted member bridges the space between the ends of the arms of themain member l, and takes a portion of the strain upon the connectinglink, the pairs of arms formed on the blank will be reinforced andstrengthened, thus providing a very strong land rigid link which iscomparatively light in weight and is cheap to manufacture.

Obviously, the sizeand proportion of the parts and the particularconfiguration may be varied as desired without departing from the spiritofthe invention, and I do not therefore limit myself except asspecifically set forth in the appended claims, tothe particularconstruction shown.

. Having thus fully described my invention, what claim is l.

l. A detachable connecting link compris ing a main member having endarms arranged in pairs at each end of said member with thearins of eachpair spaced apart laterally of said member and with a space between theends of the pairs of arms, and a closure member pivoted between the endsof one pair of arms to swing within the space between the arms of eachpair and extend across the space between the ends of the pairs of arms,said pivoted member being formed with an arm at each end to lie withinand fill the'space between the arms of each pair, said arms of thepivoted member extending across the ends of the link within said spacesbetween the pairs of arms for engaging a member extending through thelink at each end thereof and held thereby.

2. A detachable connecting` link comprising a main member formed from asheet metal blank having arms at the ends there of extending laterallytherefrom, said arms being arranged in pairs with the pair of arms atone end of the blank being curved longitudinally of the blank toward thepair at the oppositel end thereof, said blank being bent along thecenter line of the body thereof to bring the arms of each pair intoparallel spaced. relation with a space between tlie ends of the pairs ofarms, and a closnremember pivoted intermediate its ends between the endsof the arms 0f one pair to extend across and close the space between thepairs of arms, said pivoted olosnre member being formed with an arm ateach end which is curved to conform to the curvature of the arms of eachpair and to swingwithin the spaces between said arms across the ends ofthe link formed by said pairs of arms and to engage a member extendingthrough each end 0f the link and engaged by said pairs of arms. 3. Adetachable connecting link comprising a main member formed from a sheetmetal blank having arms at the end s thereof extending laterallytherefrom, said arms being arranged in pairs with the pair. of arms atone end of the blank curvedlongitudinally of the blank toward the pairat the opposite end thereof, said blank being bent along the center lineof the body thereof to bring the arms of each pair into parallel spacedrelation, and a closure member p1v oted intermediate its ends betweenthe ends of the arms of one pair to extend across and close the spacebetween the pairs of arms, said pivoted closure member being formed withan arm at each end which is curved to conform to the curvature of thepairs of arms and lie within the space between the arms of each pair,said arms on the closure arms of the adjacent pairs of arms, saidpivmember being substantially oo-eXtensive in oted closure member beingalso provided l0 length with the pairs of arms, the arm on with alaterally bent lug by means of which one end of said closure memberbeing formed said closure member may be swung on its with sharp cuttingend angles, and said olopivot. Y sure member being provided adj aeentits In testimony whereof I affix my signature. other arm With aprotuberanoe to engage an opening in an end portion of one of theALEXANDER PURDIE.

